Been on hiatus...

Wedding planning, kids on summer vacation, work, getting organized to move - this has a been a crazy last couple of months! The wedding is now in 18 days! Time has really flown by! Most details are in place, and Im in "full freak out" mode..but all my wonderful friends are reassuring me that "everything will be beautiful!" I met with the floral gals at the flower market a couple of weeks ago and picked out some great ideas..and I'm excited to see what they come up with. They are amazingly talented! Here is the bouquet they did for my BFF's wedding and the pew arrangements (same wedding)...I love them.

The only real big thing I havent taken care of is my daughter's dress. That's proven more difficult than I imagined since we changed into summery type dresses instead of long formals. They are black (ok not too summary) with Sangria accents for the teen girls (Sangria for the women).

I'm a ball of anticipation! I finally got the perfect dress, I love it. I believe everything will fall into place, and you know what, if something goes haywire..I'm STILL marrying the love of my life, and thats all that really matters. Alll the kids seem pretty excited as well, although that may just be because they get to wear tuxes/dresses and go to a big party :)

As for other news: Summer vacation is going fairly smoothly, only a couple of stumbling blocks - which isnt too bad considering the kids have more freedom than they (and we) are used to, and they dont always make the best choices..but hey, they are kids. 2 in summer school - and both doing very well (TG!), the boys are starting football work outs again after a few weeks of a break (the 100 degree weather is killing them!) - In fact this was happened right after Isaiah walked in the house after their Sunday work out.

Cece had a great trip to DC/NY with her classmates. Here was the group shot at Times Square (see her in the middle..top row, jean shorts, black sweater)..this also happened to be on her 13th birthday :)

Everyone is spending their days at the pool..and I'm trying to get over there as much as possible after work. I really want to get more organized for our impending move (Aug or Sept)..so I may spend some time boxing up things we wont need for summer. No fun but kinda a "have to get done" task.

Until next time...XOXO

Dresses, Dresses, Dresses..

Since I finally landed on Sangria..I will be taking the girls to try on dresses in the next few weeks. I already had Cece try on several and and every one looked beautiful. Her three favorites were my favorites too (isn't that nice!?) So we will be choosing between these three for her (she will be 13 when the wedding comes). Oh to be that age and look adorable in anything you put on! I'm excited to take the older girls to try on dresses too. Im so happy I decided on long dresses for the teenage girls. So beautiful! The question is how much will she grow between now and July. I'm pretty sure she just got through a growth spurt..but choosing a size is such a gamble. The ones she tried fit PERFECTLY.

Cece's Choices:

(The last one is her favorite, the first one is my favorite)

Change of direction (wedding)...but got lots done!

Okay, maybe not a lot alot, but we managed to get the ceremony and reception venue booked, dinner menu set, and DJ and Photographer booked. Yay!

Everything will take place at a golf club we frequent (we don't golf..but they have an awesome sports bar and grill, karaoke night, etc).

We will do white chair covers white sashes and may not do floral centerpieces. I am trying to keep my flower budget in check so we might do something different - still looking for ideas that really move me. Thats an example of the food display, however after talking to a friend out there who works with the catering, she will give us a great deal on a full italian dinner. Cha-Ching! I'm thinking that we may still put out some snacks mid-way through the reception (Fresh Fruit, cheeses, etc) since it's so long (6-11 pm). They will also offer valet parking for our guests for tips only, so I will pay the tips up front so the guests don't need to worry about that.

Oh..the color! It has changed too! I made my FINAL decision today, it's called Sangria from Davids Bridal. I love love love this color! So bright, refreshing, and summery - perfect for a summer wedding! Davids Bridal has ribbons in this color, so I was thinking of getting white pillar candles wrapping them...we'll see.

I want this dress for my 12 (will be 13) yr old daughter and there is a matching (strapless) dress for the teen girls. I really want to have our three daughters in long dresses, and my bridesmaids in whichever dresses they choose in Sangria.

I also decided on favors...now I need to tackle flowers! Luckily I know an awesome lady who will do my flowers for barely above cost - so I know those will be a great deal, and she does an amazing job! Maybe we can actually pull this thing off! ;)

Nysha says goodbye to HS Basketball..

Tonight we went to Nysha's last high school basketball game..and it was bittersweet. We are so proud of her, but sad she is saying goodbye to something she loves so much. She has her first soccer game next week and that will be a nice way to end her senior year.

She has so much dedication and I think that is going to take her far in life. I can't wait to see what her future brings.

Here are some great shots from her game tonight.. (she is #21)

Wedding plans are gonna monopolize my blog for a bit...

It's pretty much  monopolizing my life at the moment. Last night I found my dress!!! I cant post a pic for fear that Anthony will see it. It's gorgeous, and I'm so excited! Nysha and Sadie met me there, and they were both in love with the dress as well.  The dress fit perfectly, and a size smaller than anticpated..yay! I still hope to lose some weight and have it altered, but if not, its still beautiful. I had them try on some bridesmaids dresses, and found one that I LOVE but it doesnt come in the blue I want. UGH! The other one I thought I would love, I didnt care for. So back to the drawing board for the girls dresses. I am going to have Cece, Nysha, and Sadie in the same dress - and have my MOH and Bridesmaids in a different dress. Thats all up in the air..and I need to get the venue first anyway! I also met with the Invitation designer yesterday and im so excited to see how those turn out. She will send me the mock-ups in 2 weeks, yay!

Back to dresses..here are two I really like from Alfred Angelo..but I really want tea-length or full length dresses for the girls. I like the color Riviera Sky from AA but it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I'm thinking of going to SF to look at the dress outlets for their dresses in April when my BFF comes out to visit/dress shop. We can take all the girls and make a day of it

The last dress with the sash is just beautiful, I could do that in Riviera Sky with the sash in white for the girls. Oh I dont know, so many beautiful choices!

My BFF had her bridesmaids wear black dresses, and it worked out beautifully. I thought about doing that too, except its July and its going to be HOT. Who would think this would be so difficult. The girls technically arent "bridesmaids" but they are going to match the wedding party and be part of the wedding. OK, back to real work now... ;)

More Wedding Stuff..ideas...

Okay the Blue dress in this collage is PERFECT for what Im going for. And I love it next to the Moss color...so now Im thinking of incorporating some green - and I absolutely LOVE the flowers pictured for centerpieces (the ones with the white and blue)..

And wouldn't it be fun to have some kid-friendly cupcake centerpieces like the ones below...since just about our whole life is about kids..and there are sure to be plenty at the wedding...

Okay ladies, What do you think??

Wedding Stuff....(Freaking Out)

Okay, the big day is 5 months away and I've done a big fat nothing. So this week I got a bug to get going (finally!). I found a couple really great venues (well lots of great ones that were WAY out of our budget)..but I think one of these will work. First, the water district has a facility called Antelope WEL Gardens..very pretty..but I have been unable to get them to return my call today!! URGH!

The other is a community center. Both are super affordable, but getting our date is proving to be a chore, meaning, we may need to be more flexible with our date. Either way, things seem like they will come together nicely once we book our venue. I met with the invitation designers today about Save the Dates, Invitations, and Programs. It wont cost an arm and a leg, thankfully! They are going to be super cute! But of course, I'm keeping them a secret for now! We need to find a good DJ, hopefully we have a lead on that through my BFF. Our cake is a wedding gift from some great friends, which is such a blessing. A great friend of mine happens to be a photographer, so hopefully he can cut us some sort of deal. All of these has me hopefull that we can pull this off without robbing a bank! So for now, the date will either be 7/17, 7/24 or 7/31..narrows it down a bit, huh?

Also found beautiful dresses for our 3 girls to wear, but a little more pricey than I had hoped. Maybe I can find a similar dress for less...we'll see. I've never planned anything, I feel so overwhelmed..but in a good way if that doesn't sound completely nuts! 5 months..and counting down!